2015 The Hilt Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir

The 2015 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and nose of warm raspberries, kirsch and red currants with touches of dried roses, Provence herbs and lavender. Medium-bodied, lively, fresh and youthful in the mouth, the exuberant fruit is well-framed by fine-grained tannins and it finishes with an herbal skip in its step.

The entry level 2015 Pinot Noir Estate was first made in 2014 and it's geared to be drunk at an earlier age than the two special cuvées. It has a vibrant ruby/purple color to go with notes of cranberries, violets, mint and candied black cherries. Elegant, impeccably balanced and silky on the palate, it has fine tannin and while it's already superb, it will be better in another year. Farmed to “The Hilt,” these killer Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are made by superstar winemaker Matt Dees. All these latest releases are going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age.

The 2015 Pinot Noir boasts incredible richness and intensity, especially for what is intended to be essentially an appellation-level wine. Dark, sumptuous and exotic in its richness, the 2015 is shaping up to be utterly magnificent. The fruit intensity and pure power here are remarkable. Fruit sources are Radian, Sanford & Benedict and Bentrock.